It is early yet in the NBA season, but we already have seen a bit of separation between the teams that look like legitimate contenders and everybody else. There are, as of now, seven teams that look like they have a real title shot, but none of those teams is entirely without vulnerability—and we’ve got numbers that prove it.

Picking apart several of the advanced statistics out there, it becomes obvious that all of the contenders that have emerged thus far have their own weaknesses that could be costly in May or June. They’re still the favorites, but the questions on these teams mostly become obvious with a close look at the stats:

Blazers: Post defense

It’s not just that the Blazers struggle defending the post, it is that they are almost the worst in the league at it, allowing 0.940 points per possession (according to Synergy Sports Tech), which ranks 29th, ahead of only Utah. If there is a reason to think that the league-leading Blazers won’t have staying power, it is that the team’s defense is only average, and that will catch up to Portland eventually.

It starts inside. The big problem has been center Robin Lopez, who is allowing 1.022 points per possession, which ranks dead last among starting centers and 41st out of 45 centers in general. That’s not to say it is all Lopez’s fault—the Blazers struggle to seal off the paint at just about every position. Portland allows 46.7 points in the paint per game, which is 28th in the league according to Teamrankings.com, and you’re not going to win a title without improving on that number.

Pacers: Pick and roll

One of the positive offensive developments over the last few years for the Pacers has been Paul George’s performance as the primary ballhandler in the pick-and-roll. The play accounts for 22.4 percent of his possessions, and he averages 0.813 points per possession off it, up from 0.701 points per possession last year (when the pick-and-roll accounted for 15.8 percent of his possessions).

The problem for the Pacers, though, is that their starting guards do not run the pick-and-roll particularly well, which is one reason George does it so much. George Hill averages 0.630 points per possession on the play (fourth-worst among starting point guards) and Lance Stephenson averages 0.667. That’s why, overall, the Pacers average 0.736 points per possession in the pick-and-roll, which ranks 22nd in the league. That could have implications when the playoffs come—as teams zero in on a team’s tendencies, they will look to get the ball out of George’s hands and keep him out of the pick-and-roll.

Thunder: Spot-up shooting

There isn’t much, on either end of the floor, that the Thunder don’t do very, very well. If there is a hole that could cost them, though, it would be among their spot-up shooters, who were outstanding last year (37.7 percent from the 3-point line, third in the league) but have not followed that up this year (33.4 percent on 3s, 25th in the league).

They’re not terrible on spot-up shots, averaging 0.965 points per possession—16th in the league—but that number is carried by two of the best spot up shooters in the league, Jeremy Lamb (1.320 points per possession) and Kevin Durant (1.254). The rest of the roster has struggled to make shots with the regularity they achieved last year.

Spurs: Spot-up shooting defense

It is hard to make much of an issue out of the Spurs’ defense on perimeter shooting, because throughout the tenure of coach Gregg Popovich, it has never been a point of emphasis. The Spurs focus on bottling up all penetration, forcing the ball toward the baseline and keeping opponents out of the paint—thus, they are fifth in the league in points in the paint allowed, at 38.4 per game.

But when it comes to defending spot-up shooters, the Spurs are just 20th, and they allow 1.017 points per possession. Kawhi Leonard is their one very good closeout defender, but the likes of Danny Green, Tony Parker and Boris Diaw just don’t recover well, and that will leave the Spurs vulnerable to a hot-shooting team in the playoffs (much like Oklahoma City in the conference finals two years ago). But, again, this is standard procedure for the Spurs, who ranked 17th in defending spot-up shooters last year, but were stil within minutes of winning a championship.

Heat: Rebounding

There is a price to be paid for starting a frontcourt of Shane Battier, LeBron James and Chris Bosh, and it shows up—as has been the case for the last three years for the Heat—in the rebounding. The Heat are last in the league in offensive rebounding percentage and 25th in defensive rebounding percentage, which explains why opponents have attempted an average of 2.9 more field goals per game than Miami.

Opponents average 8.5 points per game on offensive rebounds off of the Heat, which is worst in the league, while the Heat rarely get offensive rebounds themselves. Put-back attempts account for only 37 percent of the team’s possessions, which is also last in the league.

Clippers: Post defense

Before the season, Clippers coach Doc Rivers said he thought that, with a little more development, DeAndre Jordan could develop into an All-Defensive team player, and perhaps even the Defensive Player of the Year. Perhaps eventually, but it is not really happening just yet. As of now, Jordan is posting a PER of 18.4 per 48 minutes (according to 82games.com <http://82games.com> ), which is good by his standards. However, he is allowing a PER of 20.6, for a net PER of minus-2.4 per 48 minutes.

His post-up defense has been the main culprit, as he is allowing 0.904 points per possession in those situations, up from just 0.811 points per possession last year. That is a big part of the reason why the Clippers allow 0.871 points per possession in the post, 20th in the league, and why teams attack the Clippers there so often—LA allows 12.7 points per game out of post-up situations, tied for most in the league.

Rockets: Post-up offense

It has been no secret in recent years that the post-up game of Dwight Howard, which thrived in the Howard-specific offense Orlando’s ex-coach Stan Van Gundy designed, has disintegrated quickly. But for the Rockets, who signed Howard to a four-year max contract this summer, the ramifications of that are immense. Howard accounts for a whopping 74.6 percent of Houston’s post-up possessions, but he is averaging a mere 0.724 points per possession, which ranks 27th among starting centers (and explains why the Rockets rank 28th overall in post-up offense efficiency, at 0.704 points per possession).

Go back to the year the Magic and Howard went to the Finals, and check out his production in the post: 0.875 points per possession. The adage about the playoffs is that when the offense becomes a grind you need a big guy to throw the ball to, so that he can create points. Howard does not appear to be that guy anymore.